The photography club held a shoot-out at the 26,000 acre Pinnacles National Monument, located some 60 miles south of Morgan Hill in the southern end of the Gabilan Mountain Range.
The monument was founded to protect a unique ecosystem that includes rolling chaparral, dramatic rock formations, talus caves (formed by huge, falling boulders that became wedged in narrow fractures), and a diverse mix of plants and animals.
The park has over 30 miles of hiking trails. We chose the one that would take us through the caves and up to the photographically desirable Bear Gulch Reservoir, which was only one mile away. The caves are fairly easy to negotiate if you are just carrying a flashlight (necessary), but I was also packing a camera, a bag with an extra lens, and a tripod. Trying to stay balanced while sidestepping through rocks that were only 18 inches apart, ducking under boulders with only a 3 foot clearance, and sliding down on my bum, all the while holding onto the tripod and trying to shield the camera from dents & dings, was a challenge. That short, one mile hike , which ended with 100 steps up from the last cave exit, took over an hour. As wonderful as the caves were, please imagine my relief and happiness as I cleared the last step, looked up, and saw this pretty, little reservoir.
The park has over 30 miles of hiking trails. We chose the one that would take us through the caves and up to the photographically desirable Bear Gulch Reservoir, which was only one mile away. The caves are fairly easy to negotiate if you are just carrying a flashlight (necessary), but I was also packing a camera, a bag with an extra lens, and a tripod. Trying to stay balanced while sidestepping through rocks that were only 18 inches apart, ducking under boulders with only a 3 foot clearance, and sliding down on my bum, all the while holding onto the tripod and trying to shield the camera from dents & dings, was a challenge. That short, one mile hike , which ended with 100 steps up from the last cave exit, took over an hour. As wonderful as the caves were, please imagine my relief and happiness as I cleared the last step, looked up, and saw this pretty, little reservoir.
Ranger Tammy was just waiting for some hikers to show up to hear her presentation on the park; specifically, the reservoir and how and why it was built (by the CCC to help control the amount of water that runs through the caves). We were a willing audience, quite content to sit and rest for a few minutes.
After working up a sweat in the caves, the cold temperature felt refreshing, but the overcast meant no blue skies for our photographs. I reconciled this by composing pictures that included just a bit of sky or none at all. The beauty is not in the color, but in the forms and reflections.
After working up a sweat in the caves, the cold temperature felt refreshing, but the overcast meant no blue skies for our photographs. I reconciled this by composing pictures that included just a bit of sky or none at all. The beauty is not in the color, but in the forms and reflections.
I like this next photo because you can hardly tellwhere the rocks end and the reflections begin.
We were not up to tackling the caves again,so we took a different path back,
one that included some beautiful vistas.
Once again, I kept the gray sky to a minimum...
or out of the composition completely.
I enjoyed concentrating on the smaller aspects of the scenery.The diffused light was perfect for photographing
the colorful rocks.
The San Andreas Fault is only a stone's throw away from the park. I couldn't help but think of earthquakes as I clambered through the caves, trudged up the steps, and hiked around giant boulders.This was a delightful photographic escapade
You can see more photos of the Pinnacles on my Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/
You can see more photos of the Pinnacles on my Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/
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